1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to seats and backrests for use on a bench or stadium bleacher. More particularly, this invention relates to a portable, foldable molded stadium seat wherein both the seat and backrest are manufactured from a single mold.
2. Background Art
Numerous stadium seat designs have surfaced over the last century, and all are designed to provide a maximum degree of comfort while at the same time maintaining both high degrees of portability and convenience.
Currently, the most popular stadium seat design has reinforced seat and backrest cushions, each of which being secured to a light weight tubular frame. The frame is hinged so that it can be folded to place the seat and backrest cushions in a generally parallel disposition, one to the other to facilitate transport and storage of the device. While the seat provides a high degree of comfort, it is relatively bulky when compared to various other prior art solutions and is also relatively expensive and complex to manufacture.
A particularly interesting prior art solution is offered by CLARK, JR., U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,782. CLARK, JR. teaches a stadium seat which is manufactured from a single panel of cardboard, or corrugated paper, and is subsequently folded into a seat and seat back configuration. FUCHS, ET AL., U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,188, teaches a similar cardboard seat which doubles as a carrying case. Obviously, both of the aforementioned cardboard seats are quite transportable and inexpensive to manufacture. On the other hand, they are also not nearly as durable or sturdy as the first mentioned prior art stadium seat. Additionally, the cardboard stadium seats are susceptible to water damage and are therefore not suitable for bad weather use.
What is needed is a foldable stadium seat which is portable, light weight, durable, inexpensive to manufacture, compact for storage and carrying, and at the same time, comfortable to use. Accordingly, it is the object of the instant invention to provide a stadium seat which satisfies these needs.